Well, for Kira Mowen, it's about as close as she will get to home when the Davidson College women's basketball team visits Knott Arena on the campus of Mount St. Mary's Tuesday. Tip off for the non-conference game is 7 p.m.

Mowen, who graduated from Waynesboro Area Senior High School in 2003 and finished her scholastic career with more than 1,000 points, is in her fourth season as an assistant coach with the Wildcats, a NCAA Division I team that plays in the Southern Conference.

"I'm really excited to get back close to home," Mowen said. "Two years ago we played our first round game of the WNIT against James Madison, and that was the closest I have ever been home in my coaching career. There are few opportunities to get close to Waynesboro because of the location. Mount St. Mary's would be the closest Division I school, so that worked out great.

"We are actually trying to get close to Harrisburg for one of our graduating seniors Laura Murray who played at Trinity in her high school career. I'm thrilled that some of my former coaches have the opportunity to take a trip down Route 15 if they want to catch a game."

Indeed, Emmitsburg offers the distinct opportunity for those who like small schools and Division I competition. The campus is located in a rustic setting just 16 miles from Waynesboro and has been a destination for many area basketball fans.

While former WASHS student-athletes have played sports at Mount St. Mary's, it's rare that an alumnus has been on the visitor's side as a coach.

Mowen, who started as a graduate assistant at Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, joined the Davidson staff where she was responsible for film exchange and breakdown, working with perimeter players, as well as helping to coordinate conditioning with the strength and training coaches.

Mowen is excited about what is happening at Davidson, which enters the Atlantic-10 following the 2013-14 season.

"We have had two 22-win seasons and have made post-season play the past two years," she said. "Both were WNIT experiences. Last season, we won the first post-season game in Davidson women's basketball history.

"I've enjoyed coaching at Davidson and will definitely look to get better every year. I'm excited about where my opportunities will take me in my career."

Mowen's basketball life has brought her to many places. She spent her first two years at University of Illinois and transferred to Youngstown State, where she played basketball and earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science.

While at Texas State, Mowen's focus shifted toward her post-graduate degree experience and the next phase of her life as a coach. A fortuitous sequence of events led her right to the doorstep of the Davidson, N.C. school and smack dab in the middle of a basketball-mad state.

Page 2 of 2 - "Coming out of college I didn't have a job," Mowen said. "To get a job at D-one is even harder. I gave my name to (Davidson head coach Michelle Savage). I went up and visited."